Will Bollywood Movies are going to be a part of B-School?

Find a lesson from Bollywood films. It is not only entertaining but also a shaping tool for you.

Bollywood, the nickname for Hindi film industry, is not just creating films for entertainment with all that masala stuff but depicting the lessons for life. Some of them are great inspiration for the society as well as acts as an unflattering mirror to our ever-changing society.

The Xavier Institute of Management Bhubaneshwar XIMB has selected Bollywood films such as Manthan, Swades and Chak De as a study material for its students.

Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad (IIM-A) will shortly start the first-ever course based on Bollywood. Approval and confirmation from Sanjay Gadhvi, maker of ‘Dhoom 2′ as well as more recent, ‘Kidnap’ and Apoorva Lakhia, director of ‘Shootout at Lokhandwala’, have been received and Ghajini starrer Aamir Khan and director of ‘Fashion’ Madhur Bhandarkar, have also shown great interest in this matter.

This course has also resulted in bigger class of enthusiast students eager to learn compare to the class, which was lectured by Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. It has met an overwhelming response with 86 students registering for it.

Edutainment, as a part of present day exercise in academics, acts as a helping chain for the students and get a better feel of ‘Community Mobilisation and Institution Building.’

One of the students at the institution, Payodhi said, “Learning through films is actually very helpful because they reflect the society and you tend to understand the societal dynamics through movies.”

Sashank Tripathy, one more student, XIMB said, “If I can watch a movie and there are some theoretical concepts which have been depicted over there then that’s a better way to retain knowledge. Since, management is experiential learning the film brings that element into it.”

In this course, the films act as the text and the students are supposed to deduce theories of rural management from the storyline. Apart from students, even teachers are happy saying that they are benefiting.

“These films are able to meet my objectives. Therefore, ‘Swadesh’ a true personification as the characteristic of the mobiliser, is helping me. If I am teaching mobilization process, ‘Manthan’ is of great help. And, if I am teaching the village institution building, ‘Chak De India’ helps me,” said Neeraj Kumar, Professor at Rural Management, XIMB.

Greater sense of involvement of students is the result of this new method. Even for a change, animated discussions have taken the place of yawns.

Divya Krishnaswamy, a student of XIMB said, “Having films on our course menu bring that extra edge to the whole thing and it is fun”.

After experiencing the outstanding success of this film-based rural management course, XIMB is planning to work on the same footsteps for other upcoming courses provided, they find the films that match the content of the syllabus.

Dr. Shailesh Thaker is a management guru in India and outside the country. He has shown these films in Japan, Korea, Egypt, Dubai, Singapore and Pakistan. Of course, it had been shown with sub-titles in English. He concluded that the effect was very high. Adults learnt very easily and acceptance of concept was of very high level. As it is rightly said, the tone picture is equal to one thousand words.

Watching the movies of Bollywood, I start seeing it with academic attitude. I perceive great learning messages from them. Some of them are as follows.

A) Lagaan: Facing challenges, skill and unskilled team management, over confidence, Team building, Family involvement, Willingness to win, Do or die sprit, Jealousy, Ego handling, and Emotions management.
B) Baghban: Family leadership, Finance management, Presentation skills and Public speaking skills. Generation gap, Realisation of relationship and bonding, Relationship management and Finance for Non-Finance people as well as husband-wife bonding.

C) Fashion: Aiming at High dreams, Digesting success, sustaining success, achieving success, how to raise from one’s failure, Family interventions, Systems prevailing in each industry, Bad habits a factor to rule you out, willingness to comeback and regain the bygone glory, recovering from depression, leader is never the best performer and facing different seasons in life.

D) Swades: Giving importance to Nation first, Building a team in a village, Love for motherland, Resistance and change management, Imbalance in world and society.

E) Gandhi : Balancing roles, Mission accomplishment, Values and Principles, Power of mission statement, Power of prayer, Happiness is inside, community benefit, love for the nation, giving top priority to Nation, Decision making, Legendary attitude and Leadership through demonstration.

F) Munnabhai M.B.B.S: Effect due to Place and position, Power of positive attitude, Interpersonal communication and relationship, Power of belief, Applicable learning, Positive affirmations and People perform their best in what they like even in all odds.

G) Chake De India: Goal Achievement, Team building, Team management, Team spirit, Role of seniors, Coaching leadership, Focus, Benefits of homework, Positive affirmation and Power of subconscious mind, Talent management, Organisational goal versus, Individual goals, Sacrifice and win, Male dominance as well as Women as a performer.
H) Taare Zameen Par : Role of academic institutions, Role of a teacher, Power of creativity, Coaching leadership, Role of parents in their children’s lives, Creative visualisation, Out-of-box thinking, Effects of comparison and Value addition to the education system.

I) Jodhaa Akbar: Power of Wisdom, Decision-making, Consequences of doubts, Behavioural games and negative attitude, Competency management, Management by walking around, Supremacy of leadership, and Prime importance given to Nation and organisation.

J) Waqt: Conflict between perception and communication, Gap between intention and communication, Intention and behaviour is different, Effects of miss communication, No alternative to hard work, Demonstration of devotion, Success never comes overnight, Role of parents in moulding children’s lives and Role of children in the family.

K) Veera Zaara: Leadership inspires people to lay their lives for you, Philosophy of love, Commitment value in personal life, care and share, sacrifice and winning.

O) Dipti Naval: Family management, Relationship management of husband and wife, Balancing work and family, Different priorities, Over lapping of commitments, Love turning to hatred, Red feelings and Situational leadership.

P) Earth: Effects of bad habits, Relationship between husband and wife, Power of values, Over ambition, Love is a need of life, Woman as an equaliser and creator, Self-realisation.

Q) Ghajini: Corporate management, Egoless relationship, Helping society, Unexpected positive strokes, Spiritual leadership, Power of communication and silent, Life is spontaneity, Helping people before they ask and give more than they expect, Imbalance in society and unethical leaders in power, Valuing relationship, Sacrificing and winning, Physical fitness, Health management, Role acceptance, Hard work, Change management.

R) Corporate: Power of ethics and values, Business rivalry, Pressure at work place, Short-cut to success, Past forcing you to live in the contemporary future, Valueless career, Association and unseen relationship of religious, politics and business houses.

S) Om Shanti Om: Power of super divine, Reincarnation, Spiritual help and blessings, Power of burning desire, Unethical business leaders, Talent management.

T) (Naseeruddin Shah) Iqbal: Role of a coach, Limited resources, challenges to become successful, Blaming and negative stroking, under expecting human capital, Passion is everything, Create your creative workplace and Career is beyond money.

U) Aankhen: Teamwork and team management, Adult learning and performing, Power of external motivation, Benefits of homework, and Planning before any action.

When will Management schools turn around? Do they need Brahman for Muhurat?

Hollywood and Bollywood Movies that help CEO and Top management

Here is the list of US released movies with scenes related to corporate governance topics, such as Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities.

The Hudsucker ProxyThis shows a part of a stock scam in the ’50s. It moves around a recently graduated business student, who is hired as a President of a large manufacturing company without a clue about Board of DirectorsRoles and Responsibilities (1994).

My Gold Cadillac

The small shareholders turn a company upside down. This is probably the most corporate governance focused movie (1956).

It has some scenes related to Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities.

The Apprentice

Donald Trump’s TV show which ends each episode with ‘You Are Fired’ Boardroom scene.

The Bank

This thriller follows in the tradition of movies like Wall Street and Rogue Trader (2002).

Barbarians at the Gate

It beautifully features the Board of Directors in action towards the end of the movie (1993).The CarpetbaggersThis movie is about the life of Howard Hughes, which starts with brief shareholders’ meeting (1964).Chairman of the BoardAn interesting Walt Disney movie not only for kids but also for grown ups. This film says about a young man who becomes the Chairman of the Board of a large corporation (2001).Enron, The smartest guy in the roomThe boardroom action well featured towards the end of this movie (2005).Deal, TheThe movie shows an illegal trading on the world’s energy markets, varied money laundering schemes, corporate corruption, a global oil crisis, the Russian Mafia, assassinations, a political drama, love and even a scene about Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities (2005).DisclosureA good thriller having a scene of the shareholders’ meeting at the end of the movie (1994).Executive SuiteThe Board of Directors and shareholders are confused with the death of the company because the owner has left a mystery. He did not name his successor (1954).The First $20 MillionWell defines the Board of Directors of a Silicon Valley. Their Roles and Responsibilities. How they start up which is barely defined during their first entry in the company, so-called shareholder’s meeting in the company’s offices – the garage (2002).Head OfficeA good old comedy, which shows a Chairman in action (1985).Hold the DreamA very good lesson for businesspersons. This four-part TV series depicts the last years of the life of a servant Emma Harte, who rose to a head of an international retail dynasty along with her family members to be the company’s shareholders (1983).How To Succeed in Business Without Really TryingIt is a musical with a sting of comedy for those who like to see Board of Directors sing (1967).Inspector Morse – The Sins of the FathersThis movie is about a small family business drama and craftily shows a critical board event (1990).Law & OrderThis daily TV soap opera shows the financial condition of the film. In an episode namely ‘Tuxedo Hill’, it showed a Boardroom financing gone bad.Meet Joe BlackA fantastic movie, which depicts three board meetings. The movie takes a quick twist and turn. The Chairman, who is dying, cancels a potential merger, and a complete stranger is brought to the board meetings, who is removed from his position by the Directors, had won his seat back just in a time to die. A well-defined movie showing the Board of Directors Roles and Responsibilities.Other People’s MoneyThis is good film showing the relationship between love and business. The Wall Street takeover guru finds has a beautiful turn in his life. He finds his first love of life at the negotiation table on the opposite side during a take over (1991).PatternsThis movie carved the relationship of a Chairman and CEO with their senior team meticulously (1955).Power & LoversThis movie shows some unusual outdated boardroom scenes (1994).RobocopThe funny part of the film is to watch the Chairman and CEO who have no command on the company’s senior executive team (1987).SapheadThis is an excellent black and white movie without speech. It shows how a shareholder robs the Chairman. The most comic part is to see that how the New York Stock Exchange looked in 1915 and a complete absence of Board of Directors’ Roles and Responsibilities.Startup.comChronicles a Silicon Valley Internet company through all its start up pains, including VC meetings, shareholder problems, recruiting a new Board of Directors, growing pains and decline. It features the birth and failure of a new media company. (2001).The Substance of FireThe movie starts with an ugly board meeting of a business that is owned by a small family (1996).SyrianaA brief scene in the Connex Oil Boardroom, in the beginning, which can be missed if you just have a blink (2005).Wall StreetA famous classic that shows a scene of a shareholders meeting (1987).

Movies which depicts about the Absence of Corporate Governance

Boiler RoomThe film portraits a brokerage firm holding a call center that runs without any corporate governance (2000).Owning MahoneyThis film is based on a true story of the largest one-man bank fraud in Canadian history (2003).The Prime GigA reputable telemarketing firm turns out to be one-man show in one-room ‘company’ where a freshly hired sales people believe to be working for a legitimate firm (2000). Rogue TraderThe story is about Nick Leeson and the dramatic downfall of the 200-year old Barings Bank (1999).